(on what he expects from the Titans)
Well, you didn't have to look very long at that game Monday night and the Titans would catch your attention. They did about everything that you can do right. That formula is the formula that we are all looking for. You can control the clock as long as they controlled it. They went into Lambeau field and jumped out to a 17-0 lead before Green Bay really knew what happened and they took the crowd out of the game. You know, things you would really want to do. It was a very, very impressive win for them. Not turning the ball over and getting six takeaways and running the ball for the yardage that they did and it was just a good all-around performance.
(on the Texans being excited to be playing in a game like this)
Our goal here has been to try and improve every week. Every year that you play, you hope that you see signs of progress and improvement. We feel like we have made progress in some areas, but we haven't been consistent enough to win consistently yet. Hopefully we can improve on our performance from this last week where we dug too big a hole for ourselves and then our guys fought their tails off and fought back, but we didn't get the plays made in the overtime to win.
(on their run defense and how much Robaire Smith helps in that department)
I think Robaire is playing well. We are happy to have him and I think when it is all said and done I think he will be a big factor in terms of the run defense. He is has been a good guy for us. I like Robaire.
(on the run defense not being where it needs to be)
Well, I think that we would like to be ranked higher. We would like to be ranked higher in everything on defense. There are a lot of different reasons for that. I don't think that Robaire has much to do with that.
(on if it is difficult going from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense)
I don't think it is. Gary Walker on the other side did the same thing when he came in from Jacksonville. Robaire, a lot of the techniques he uses will be the same. He will be down on the line on the guard quite a bit like he used to be. Then he will slide out on the line on the tackle probably more than he ever did before. I think he is doing a good job making the transition and I have seen him improve every week.
(on if signing Smith was easier because he played against the Texans with the Titans)
I don't think there is any question. When you play a team twice a year and they are within your division you get to know more about their personnel. As you prepare certain guys jump out at you in terms of what their capabilities are and what their strengths are. I was always impressed with Robaire as we were getting ready to play the Titans and felt that he was a big physical guy that could give us a good presence in the interior of our line.
(on Andre Johnson)
I think it is a little bit of both. I do believe there is a big difference in players from their first and second year. Andre had a very good rookie year, but I see him playing with more confidence now. He is such a hard worker on the practice field and when guys have that kind of attitude and that kind of work ethic and good ability then they get better and he has definitely gotten better.
(on Johnson's ability to control his body)
He does for a man his size. He is a big man and he is a good athlete. That combination with his size, speed and athletic ability. He has done a nice job of getting his body to where he can adjust to the balls wherever they have been thrown. He has made some really outstanding catches for us over the last few weeks.
(on what he thinks about the young Titans)
They have done a good job. They certainly did a great job Monday night. So much of playing defense is team defense and guys understand that to take care of their job and not try to do too much. I see that out of this linebacker group. They play hard, they compete and Keith Bulluck is obviously one of the best in the league that you play against. He is an athlete, has got energy and brings energy to the defense. The guy is a good pass rusher, I mean, he is a complete player and I think the other guys have filled in admirably.
(on what factors go into making a replay challenge)
Well, we knew going in against Minnesota, you know they were the number one offense in the league, I thought at the time and the people upstairs thought at the time that the spot wasn't the best spot. It gave us a chance to possibly get off the field with a three and out to start the game, so I took a shot at it. Looking back, and I was asked, would you do it again? Obviously, when it wasn't overturned you probably wouldn't do it again. At the time I thought if we have a chance to start the game out with a three and out on defense against that offense that it was worth the chance.
(on if he feels he has thrown the instant replay flag more this season)
I don't think so. I think if you went through the five games, you know, I don't know that there would be much difference between a year ago and this year. I normally confer with our coaches that we have upstairs. I normally don't challenge things just to challenge them. I have to get positive feedback from our coaches and I have a definite reason to challenge things.
(on the formation of the offensive huddle)
What we do is face the defense and we do that because there is so much personnel change being done on the defensive side of the ball. We want our players all to see what defensive personnel is coming on the field. We have our two tackles call the down and distance, the situation and we have our interior people call out what personnel is coming into the game. So, before we break the huddle we should know what defensive personnel they have on the field. There is an awful lot of communication that goes on that a lot of people don't realize. From the time the play is called down from the press box and signaled in to the quarterback and the quarterback has to call it and then come up to the line of scrimmage and there is always a lot of pre-snap communication, but the more we can communicate and be on the same page coming out of the huddle, we think is extremely important.
(on why they have a lot of interception return yardage)
Well, we try to work on that. We place a lot of emphasize on that. If we do get an interception, we are trying to have our guys look for blocks. We have been fortunate where we have had a couple of longer interception returns and guys have done a good job of it. They take a lot of pride in trying to turn into a blocker.
(on the Titans offense and Chris Brown)
Well, he has been a great addition. He has speed. He has size and speed and he is a real smooth runner. He has his own style, but the thing about Chris Brown is that he has the ability to take it the distance, which you saw Monday night because of his speed. He is a potential big play guy and I think every team in the league is trying to look for a guy to carry the football that if you miss a tackle or if you don't cover a gap that he can really make you pay by turning it into a big play.
(on there being less blitzing around the league)
That is always the discussion that you have. The thing you have to evaluate is the upside of bringing pressure trying to disrupt the quarterback and the passing game or it is the potential risk of the big play. Every week you go through and discuss it. I am not sure around the league whether it is up or down. I know that many times your personnel and the experience of personnel has a lot to do with that. We have started some young guys on defense and of course that effected how much we did early. I would say if you look at us the last couple of weeks, you know, we have come with a little more pressure the last couple of weeks.
(on the franchise becoming more confident as the years have gone by)
Well, we talked from day one that our goal is just to improve. Improve everyday, improve every week and improve every year and I feel confident that we have our best team that we have had in three years. Many times that doesn't show up in the record right away but I am confident that we are heading in the right direction. I like our players' attitude; I think we have lot of fighters on this team. We were able to go into Kansas City and win a tough, hard fought battle there and win in the fourth quarter here against the Raiders and come back from a 21-0 deficit this last week against the Vikings. We tied the game and put it into overtime and unfortunately we didn't make the plays in the overtime to win and they did. I think our guys will compete. We know that we aren't there yet; we have a lot of areas to improve in, but I see us getting better. I think that if we can stay healthy that we can improve every week.
(on what he told Robaire Smith to convince him the franchise was improving)
Well, I think that Robaire saw an opportunity to come in and be a major contributor to a team that hopefully is an ascending team. I think we have a number of players like that and I think we have a number of young players that we have drafted that we are counting on and of course, that has been the case here for three years now. The first year we started five rookies on offense and this year we have been starting three rookies on defense.
(on whether he would like to see Kevin Carter playing tackle or end)
Well, I will just say this, Kevin Carter is a good player and he is going to play well no matter where he plays, whether it is inside or outside. Obviously, the combination they had Monday night looked like a good combination. I don't know how much moving back outside had to do with that but it was very efficient and effective. He is a good player and I have always had a lot of respect for him. There are not many guys that can move inside and play well and then come back outside and play well.
